Universal rolling mill



April 27, 1954 s. E. M. NORLINDH 2,676,502

UNIVERSAL ROLLING MILL Filed NOV. 8, 1949 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 3Wei/w, JW-$ Pub 5%., 3M, hid/hm April 2'7, 1954- s. E. M. NORLINDH2,676,502

UNIVERSAL ROLLING MILL Filed Nov. 8, 1949 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fly. m

/a. fb.

WW JLM IW & PM 0 April 7, 1954 s. E. M. NORLINDH UNIVERSAL ROLLING MILL8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 8, 1949 [/V VENTOR 5m 5.4a 241m howmm QJMIJ'y 29PM April 27, 1954 5 NORLINDH 2.676502 UNIVERSAL ROLLING MILL FiledNov. 8, 1949 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 J/V VE/VTOR amdw gah MPWAM Ap l 79 1954 s.E. M. NORLINDH UNIVERSAL ROLLING MILL 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 8,1949 I/VVE/VTOR April 27, 1954 s. E. M. NORLINDH 2,676,502

UNIVERSAL ROLLING MILL Filed Nov. 8, 1949 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORApril 27, 1954 s. E. M. NORLiNDH 21 676,502

UNIVERSAL ROLLING MILL Filed Nov. 8, 1949 a Sheets-Sheet [N wzvv TOR 5m(3% m mom,

57 W MD W 29 1 0% April 27, 1954 NQRLINDH 2,676,502

UNIVERSAL ROLLING MILL Filed Nov. 8, 1949 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Patented Apr.27,1954

UNIVERSAL ROLLING MILL Sven Erik Malte Norlindh, Morgardshammar,

Swed

Application November 8, 1949, Serial No. 126,079

' The present invention has for its object to provide a universalrolling mill which is more useful in several respects than thoseheretofore used. As the vertical rolls of the universal rolling millsgenerally are positively driven with a shaft which is parallel with therolls and mounted topmost in the rolling stand, it meets with extremelygreat difiiculties to equip these stands with a detachable top. On theother hand, in the roller bearing means heretofore used it is necessaryto use a detachable top because there is very seldom sufficient space inthe axial direction for drawing out the rolls. However, constructionsdisclosed lately (in my United States Patents Nos. 2,506,681 and2,500,957) and including horizontal roll bearings freely accessible onthe exit side or on the entry side, offer new possibilities for mountingthe vertical rolls with drive device directly on the bearing boxes orhousings of the horizontal rolls. With such an arrangement said verticalrolls become easily accessible, easy to mount and easy to adjust duringoperation. Furthermore, together with the horizontal rolls, guides andrest bars they form a unit, the different parts of which may be mounted,adjusted, overhauled, and so on in a special workshop in which this workcan be clone with greater speed. and'precision than in the rolling millhall and without disturbing the work'there. The invention also ofiersother advantages which will be clear from the following descriptlon.

The invention is exemplified in the annexed drawings as applied to athree-high rolling mill.

Fig. 1 is a front view, Fig. 1A is a top view and Fig. 2 is an end viewof a three-high rolling mill. In the last figure coupling elementsconnecting two stands are cut on the line II--II of Fig. 1. Verticalrolls can be'built into such a rolling'mill. Such a verticalroll'mounting is shown inFigs. 3 tolO. Fig. 3 is a front view, partly insection, on the line III--IIIIinfFig. 4, Fig. 4 is a section on the lineIV-IV in Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a top view, partly in section on the linesVwVa and Vb'-Vb in Fig. 4. c Fig. 6 is a section on the line VI-"-VI inFig. '7, and the last-mentioned figure a view of the rolling mill fromthe exit side.- Fig. 8 is a plan view of the rolling mill, Fig. 9 is asection on line IXIX in Fig; '7 and Fig. 10 is a view of the rollingmill taken at aright angleto the view in Fig.7, the views in Figs.6-"10be'ing on a scale smaller than that usedfor Figs. '3-5. v

Figs. 3, 4, 5 most parts of the rolling mill 8 Claims. (Cl. 8039) areassembled; the other figures show but parts of the rolling mill, inorder not to be overcrowded with details.

In the Various views, similar elements have been assigned similarcharacters of reference.

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically two pairs of housings placed side by sidein a train. The left pair of housings is shown only in profile sincethis. pair is similar to the right pair. The horizontal rolls l, 2, 3are mounted in bearing boxes la, 2a, 311 respectively, as seen in Fig.2, by means of roller bearings one of which is shown at 28 in Fig. 5,and these bearing boxes are supported and guided by posts in accordancewith my U. S. Patent No. 2,506,681. One such post numbered I1 is shownin Figs. 1, 1A, 2, 4 and partly in Fig. 5. Each post Ir with its baseplate is used instead of a bearing casing or a usual frame, and isprovided with a vertical guide, in the first place for the bearing boxeswhich are situated at the same side of the pair of rolls and of thepost. However, the post can at the same time form a similar guide at itsother side for the bearing boxes of another pair of rolls for instancein three-high mills according to the Figures 1, 1A, 2, 4 and 5. Theprofile of the post Ir is best shown in Fig. 1A, which is a top view ofthe same together with a bearing box la at each side. As shown, avertical flange constituting each guide engages a recess or a groove 26bin the bearing box. Such grooves are out also in the boxes 2a and 3acorresponding to the respective flanges, see also Fig. 10. Itmay beobserved that Fig. 1A is intended just to show principally how the postand bearing boxes may be provided to engage each other. Due to saidflanges and grooves, the bearing boxes and rolls will obtain a goodguidance, and will be movable up and down between the posts when therolling mill is dismounted or mounted. This arrangement will be of greatimportance for universal rolling mills as will be obvious from thefollowing specification. As most practical the middle roll is stationaryduring adjustment operations and the other two rolls adjustable inrelation to it. The bearing 2a for the middle roll 2 is fixed in thepost and connected with the bearing la by means of stay screws l5, l6(Figs. 2 and 4) which support the latter. These stay top screws areadjusted as shown in Fig. 4 by means of gear wheels 15a, [5b and [6a,I62), and worm gears 18 meshing with worm gears on a shaft 20 (Figs. 3and 4); driven by an electric motor 22 through a transmission 2|. Thetwo uppermost rolls are adjustedmutually by this motor. The gear wheelsare encased as indicated at lBb in the drawings. In rolling mills havingthree horizontal rolls (as shown in the drawings) the bearing boxes 2aand 3a are inter-connected by means of screws in similar manner, thesescrews being adjusted by similar gear trains and motor as describedabove but mounted at the base of the mill as indicated in Fig. 2. Thegear wheels la, l5bl8 are encased as shown in the drawings. The fixingof the bearing boxes 2a may take place by known elements such as screwbolts (not shown).

The driving power from the horizontal rolls of the one pair of housingsis transmitted to the one input guide away from the other. In theopposite direction the lever arms actuate the input guides by means ofset screws 4k, 5k.

The above described adjustments of the vertical rolls and the inputguides make it possible to roll with a strong edging press (slagcleaning press) and with normal edging presses on the same piece(stock). When a slag cleaningpress is used, the input guides 4e, 5e mustbe opened still more which may be made manually with the set screws 4k,570.

An upper and a lower guide device, a so-called scraper device lg, 29(Figs. 4, 6, '7) are provided other pair of housings by means ofcoupling elements 25 (Fig. l) and coupling he'ads lb, 2b, 3b as usual.

Two vertical rolls 4 and 5 together with their drive devices aresupported from the bearing boxes or housings 2a of the one horizontalroll, for instance the roll 2, at the output side of the horizontalrolls and input guides 4e, 5e as viewed in the direction of feed of thestock (Figs. 4 "and 8). The bearing boxes M, 5a of the vertical rolls 4,5 are slidably mounted on guides 2e, U, which are vertically adjustableand being fixed with screw bolts 26 each in a groove 25a in the rollbearing 2a. Such grooves are out also in bearings la and 3a. Alongitudinal shaft I mounted in one of the bearing boxes 2a and passingthrough bearing boxes 4a, 5a of the two vertical rolls,-see Fig. 3,isdrivingly connected with the roll 2 by means of a pair of gears 20, 6,one gear of which is fixed to the coupling-head 2b of the roll 2, thegear being fixed to the shaft '1. Each vertical roll is drivinglyconnected with the shaft 1 by means of mitre gears 50, Set. In orderthat the gear 5d shall always be in'driving connection with the shaft 1but movable along the same, the shaft is splined, see Fig. 3. The inputguides 4e, 5e (Fig. 5) are displaceably fixed to a guide rest bar 201which is adjustable in the vertical direction with respect to thebearing boxes 2a, also by means of anchoring bolts 26 which aredisplaceable along the bearing 2a, each in its respective groove 26atherein.

The spacing between the vertical rolls 4, 5 is adjusted by means ofthree screws -9 having right and left hand threads (Figs. 3, 4) whichare passed through nuts secured to the bearing boxes 4a, 5a. and arejournalled in the bearing boxes 2a (e. g. to the left of Figs. 3 and 5).The-screws 9 are connected to gear wheels at IU close to the end wall ofthe bearing box. The gear wheels are driven through a chain transmissionlfla by a motor with gearing not shown. Thus the horizontal spacing ofthe vertical rolls can be adjusted for each pass.

When the vertical rolls are adjusted in this manner, the input guides'46, 5e also participate in the movement which takes place. This is donethrough a system of pull rods 4], 5h and 5f, 47:. (see Fig. 8) and alever device 49 and 5grespectively at each end wall where each leverdevice is mounted at its centre-on its respective bearing box 2a. Thepull rod 4] is connected with the bearing box 421. and the pull rod "57with the bearing box 5a. The position of the input guide 4e iscontrolled by movement of 'the'bearing box 5a of the vertical roll 5 andthe position of input guide 5e is controlled by movement of the bearingbox 4a of the vertical r0114, :as will be seen from Fig. 8. The rods 4hand5hare connected with the inputguides 4e,5e'each bymeans of its leverarms 4o and 50, which by means of a resilient :connection 4p and 5prespectively push between the horizontal rolls and the vertical rolls.The scraperlg rests on the bearing boxes la, 5a of the vertical rolls.

The scraper lg associated with the roll I is mounted on a member 'le bymeans of a rod If provided with spring loading. The member le is fixedto a guide rest bar Id attached on the bearing boxes la of the tophorizontal roll. Consequently, the upper-scraper lg is adjusted inheight with the top roll I. The details are best shown in Fig. 6. Forthree-high rolling mills, lateral guides 4n, 5m, 4m, 5n (Figs. 7, 9)being required below the vertical rolls when rolling between the bottomroll 3- and the middle roll 2. The lateral guides 411., Am are connectedto the bearing box 4a and the lateral guides 5n, 5m to the bearing box5a of the vertical rolls and follow the same when the vertical rolls 4,5 are adjusted. The usual known construction comprises ordinary lateralguides which are fixed on a guide rest bar and which must be displacedmanually each time the width dimension is to be changed. However, thesup ports and the lateral guides have been designed in :such a mannerthat rolling beds l2 and I3 respectively are obtained in the lowerposition oneach side of the middle rolling bed l'l situated between thevertical rolls 4 and 5 (Fig. 7). The lateral guides are shown .in Fig.9, and the supports .in .the left bearing box 4a have been sectioned 'inthe one direction and the supports in the other box 5a have beensectioned in the other direction. From Fig. 7 it will also be seen thatthe output guides Em and 4n and 5m and 511 in the lower position followthe respective middle roll 2 and 'bottom'roll 3 at the adjustment.

In order 'to obtain a really good guiding of the rolled fiat strip, thevertical rolls 4, 5 slant with their axes outwards at an angle of 2 tothe ver-v tical, which causes the strip automatically to be forceddownwards.- The bearing boxes of the verticalrolls carry rollers 41,51,Figs. '3, 7,, which support the strip and absorb the downwardly directedforces on the edges of "the hot stock, and the upward reaction pressureagainst the rolls '41" and Sr, hold the hot stock exactly 'atright-angles to "the plane containing the axes of the vertical rolls 4,5. Th'e'upper scraper lgtand lower scraper 2g serve substantially toguide the leading end of the hot stock to the correct'posi tion betweenthe vertical rolls 4, 5.

Special improvements in the present constructionare obtained by thebearing block arrangement viz. that'the bearings,'rolls an'd'allelements which are builttogether with the rolls can, as a unit, beraised between the posts and removed for replacement'by anotherwunit toroll a different size stock. This idea is disclosed in my previous U. S.Patent No. 2,506,681 but .so far "as. is known was never earlier appliedto universal rolling mills. At this special 'type of rolling .mills theinvention will be of very great importance by facilitating andsimplifyingthe adjustment operation also of the vertical rolls. As shownin Fig. 10, the rolls l, 2, 3, the bearing boxes la, 2a and 3a areconnected to each other and to the vertical rolls by means of the stayscrews 15, it. One of the vertical rolls is visible and indicated by 5.Bars 39, SI and 32 connect the bearing boxes is and 3a, respectively.The whole unit may be handled by a crane like the unit shown in my U. S.Patent No. 2,506,681 for which purpose it may be provided with a yokelike the unit shown in that patent.

The invention is not limited to the described and disclosed details butthey may be altered in accordance with the local conditions and therequirements of the work, using diiferent constructional elements. Theabove described devices may be used c. g. in two-high mills in as far asthey are not dependent upon more than two horizontal rolls.Alternatively with the use of posts carrying the horizontal rolls,through which posts the bearing boxes become freely accessible on theentry side or the exit side (compare my United States Patent No.2,506,681), the further simplification may be made that the bearingboxes of the horizontal rolls are arranged to engage one another, asshown in Fig. 2. At the same time their stay screws are utilized for thestabilizing of the bearings. By this arrangement the bearings get therequired guiding and anchoring so as to resist forces acting radially aswell as axially on the rolls (compare my United States Patent No.2,500,957), and they can together with all rolls, rest bars, guides andother accessories be detachably mounted on the fundament as described inmy said Patent No. 2,500,957.

The vertical rolls may be arranged to be dismounted and mounted in sucha manner that the horizontal rolls can be used as an ordinary roll pairin two-high, three-high and similar rolling mills, see Fig. 2.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A universal rolling mill Comprising superposed horizontal rollshaving end journals, 2. pair of horizontally aligned bearing blocks foreach of said rolls having journal bearings receiving the end journals ofthe rolls therein, vertically extending stay screws mounted on thebearing blocks of one of said rolls, the bearing blocks of the other ofsaid rolls being mounted on said stay screws, adjusting means includingsaid stay screws for adjusting the roll pressure and retaining thebearing blocks in position with respect to each other, said bearingblocks having vertically aligned guides on the outer end faces thereofoffset from the axis of the journal bearings therein for engagement withcomplementary vertical guides on supporting standards to removablysupport the roll assembly on such standards, rigid horizontal guide railmembers mounted directly on and between one of said pairs of bearingblocks, a pair of vertical roll journal housings slidably mounted onsaid horizontal guide rails, a vertical roll journalled in each of saidvertical roll journal housings in opposed relation to each other,horizontal right and left hand threaded adjusting screw rods journalledin said last mentioned pair of bearing blocks and in threaded engagementwith said vertical roll journal housings for adjusting the same towardand away from each other, a horizontally extending vertical roll driveshaft extending between and journalled in the last mentioned pair ofbearing blocks. and means for driving said vertical rolls from saidvertical roll drive shaft.

2. A universal rolling mill as claimed in claim 1, and a drivingconnection between the horizontal roll journalled in the last mentionedpair of bearing blocks and the vertical roll drive shaft journalledtherein.

3. A universal rolling mill as claimed in claim 2, in which the meansfor driving the vertical rolls from the vertical roll drive shaftincludes a mitre gear on each of said vertical rolls and a meshing-mitregear mounted with each of said vertical roll journal housings andslidable on said vertical roll drive shaft with a splined connection fortransmitting the drive thereto.

4. A universal rolling mill as claimed in claim 1, and a rigidhorizontal guide rail member mounted directly on and between the bearingblocks of said last mentioned pair thereof on the side of the horizontalroll journalled therein at the opposite side of the horizontal rolls inrelation to the guide rail members for the vertical roll journalhousings, horizontally adjustable input guides mounted on said guiderail member, and rod and lever adjusting connections between saidvertical roll journal housings and said input guides for adjusting thelatter in accordance with the adjustment of said vertical roll journalhousings, said rod and lever adjusting connections being crossconnectedsuch that the left input guide is adjusted by adjustment of the journalhousing for the right vertical roll, and vice versa.

5. A universal rolling mill as claimed in claim 4 in which the adjustingconnections between said vertical roll journal housings and said inputguides includes set screw connections between the rod .and leverconnections and said input guides for individual adjustment of each ofsaid input guides with respect to the rod and lever connections.

6. A universal rolling mill as claimed in claim 1 in which the mill is athree high mill having two lower roll beds and one upper roll bed and inwhich input guides are provided for the lower roll beds and mounted independent relation directly on the vertical roll journal housingswhereby to be automatically adjusted upon adjustment of the verticalroll journal housings, and in which the upper roll bed is centeredbetween the vertical roll journal housings and immediately above thespace between the lower roll beds.

7. A universal rolling mill as claimed in claim 1 in which the verticalroll journal housings are demountable from the rolling unitindependently of the mounting of the horizontal rolls whereby to permitutilization of the horizontal rolls as an ordinary rolling mill.

8. A universal rolling mill as claimed in claim 1 in which the verticalrolls are journalled in said vertical roll journal housings at an angleto the vertical to exert a downward force on the work and stocksupporting rollers journalled on said vertical roll journal housings inposition to support the work passing between said vertical rollers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 353,450 Harris Nov. 30, 1886 481,058 Reese Aug. 16, 1892819,538 Gardner May 1, 1906 1,133,551 Frazier Mar. 30, 1915 1,796,447Foren Mar. 17, 1931

